William heinebsmairaf



W. MEINERSMANN.

HIGH VELOCITY GUN.

APPLICATION FILED IULY 22, 1918.

Patented Dec. 30, 1919.

/IvI/E/vfon A ATT NEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM MEINERSMANN', 0F ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY.,

HIGH-VELOCITY GUN.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM MEINERS- MANN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Elizabeth, in the county of Union and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and Improved High-Velocity Gun, of which the i'ollowing is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention has for its general object to improve the construction and operation of rifles and thereby, increase the velocity, energy and range of the projectile.

One of the objects of this invention is to increase the velocity of the projectile without materially increasing the pressure within the gun, thereby avoiding undue pressure on the walls of the gun and preventing probable rupturing of same. l

Another object of this invention is the avoidance of the recoil of the gun which is accomplished by having the breech-block independent and movably mounted with respect to the borey of the gun and which is given a high velocity so that its momentum is equivalent or greater than the reaction of the explosion.

A more speciiic object of this invention is to increase the velocity of the projectile by first giving it a preliminary velocity and then adding the velocity derived from the charge to it.

Another object of this invention is to use the forward movement of the breech-block for ejecting the burnt gases out of the gun and substituting the cooler air instead.

Still another object of this invention is the 4provision of a novel firing device for exploding the charge, which firing device is carried by the breech-block and is automatically operated when the latter reaches av predetermined point in its forward movement.

Heretofore, the velocity, energy and range of the yprojectile was increased by certain.

'.improvements in the construction of the gun, so that the pressure against the projectile could be increased without the gun bursting, and in the make-up of the charge, whereby, its rate of combustion is reduced, so that the pressure against the projectile is much higher as it leaves the gun.

To further increase the velocity, energy and range of the projectile I have invented a gun, in which the breech-block is not fastened to the gun, but is independent of it to the extent that it is movable away from Specification of Letters Patent.v

Application led July 22, 1918.

Patented Dec. 3o, 1919.

Serial No. 246,106. I

the barrel and has a plunger portion which engages the barrel and is like a piston within a cylinder. I now impart to this breechblock together with the charge and projectile which are in front of it, a high velocity, which can be accomplished by ejecting it from an explosion chamber.

After the breech-block together with the charge and projectile have received a high velocity, the breech-'block arrives at a certain location in the gun and the charge is exploded. Bothy the velocity of the projectile is increased and the velocity of the breech-block is retarded or stopped, by the explosion of this charge. Since the reaction of the explosion is on the breech-block alone, and as it is independent of the gun, it is perfectly obvious that the gun will not recoil.

The weight of .the breech-block and its velocity may be regulated so that its mo' mentum overcomes the reaction of the explosion so that it will continue to travel in the direction of the projectile thereby increasing the pressure against the projectile as it leaves the gun. In addition, this forward movement of the breech-block ejects the' hot gases of the exploded charge from the gun andl substitutes the cooler air instead, thereby minimizing the corrosive. action of the burnt gases on the bore of the gun.

In practising this invention, use is made `of an arrangement as shown in the accompanying drawing, which illustrates one embodiment of the invention and wherein similar characters of reference indicate correspondingparts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of the gun where the breech-block isv about to receive its initial velocity;

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the breech-block together with the charge and the projectile after receiving the initial velocity and the charge just in the act of exploding; and

Figs. 3 and 4 are enlarged sectional views showing the firing device for the secondary charge.

- In the present instance the mounting for the gun is not shownand neither is the gas checkV for the breech-block, as they form no part of the invention. It will be understood that the mounting of the gun will be of such a nature as to permit the gun to be adjusted to different positions, that the breech-block will be fitted with a gas-check to minimize the loss of pressure due to leakage, and that the charge will be so arranged as to keep it from prexploding due to the compression between the breech and the projectile.

Referring to the drawing, A designates the gun, B the movable breech-block and C a mortar for giving the breech-block 'together with the charge and projectile a preliminary velocity.

The rifle A is of any approved construction and is provided with an open breech end 1 in which is placed the explosive charge 2 and a projectile 3. The riiie A is carried by a yoke a supported on horizontal rods 5, which latter form a support for the breech-block B and mortar C, said rods passing through the tubular members 6, which may be stationary parts of the gun mounting. l

The breech-block B comprises a piston 7 having a cross-head 8 provided with apertures 9 through which extend the guide rods 5, and projecting forwardly from the piston is a stem-like member or plunger 10 which enters the breech end of the riiie A, whereby the charge 2 and the projectile 3 are given their initial movement. The forward movement of the piston is cushioned 'by any suitable means, such as springs 11,

carried on rods 5 and bearing on the rear ends or stops 12 of the members 6, but it is to be understood 'that the explosion of the charge has a reaction on the piston, so that the springs 11 need not be as heavy as would be required otherwise.

The mortar C has a chamber 13 which holds a charge 14 and into which the piston 7 fits. The charge is adapted so as to be exploded in any suitable manner, and when it explodes it forces the piston Jforwardly from the position shown in Fig. 1 to that shown in Fig. 2, when the regular charge 2 is exploded by means hereinafter to be described. The mortar has laterally extending lugs 15 provided with apertures 16 through which the rods 5 extend, and on these rods 5 and located behind the lugs 15 are the recoil springs 17 for the mortar.

To explode the charge the forward end of the member 10 of the breech-block is provided with a percussion'primer 18 that has a cap of fulminate of mercury 19 which sets off the ignition charge 20 and the latter in turn ignites the exploding charge 2. The primer is fired by a firing pin 21 which lies longitudinally in the breech-block and is connected by toggles 22 with actuating pins 23 which extend outwardly through openings 24 that are adapted to be engaged by the bevel surface 25 of the breech end of the rifle, so that when the breech-block moves forwardly from the position shown in Fig. 1 to that shown in Fig. 2, the actu'- ating pins 211 are moved inwardly against the tension of the firing pin spring 26, so that the firing pin is moved forwardly to ignite the primer, whereby the charge 2 is exploded to add its propelling force to the projectile, which already has the velocity of the forwardly moving breech-block. In this manner the projectile is propelled in two stages-first, by the breech-block which is given a high velocity by the iirst propulsion and second by the charge of powder 2, so that the projectile will have a high muzzle velocity, in addition to unusually high energy and an extremely long range.

The importance of this increase in the velocity of the projectile is appreciated by those familiar with ballistics, as both the energy and range of the projectilevary as the square of its velocity, or in other words, the energy and the range of a projectile is quadrupled if the velocity is doubled.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, the advantages of the construction and method of operation will be readily understood by those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains, and while I have described the principle of operation, together with the device which I consider to be the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that the device shown is merely illustrative and that such changes may be made when desired as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. The combination with a gun, of a mortar in the rear thereof, and a breech-block adapted to be explosively ejected by the mortar to firing position in the gun.

2. The combination with a gun, of a mortar in the rear thereof, rods connecting the gun and the mortar, and a breech-block mounted to move on the rods between the mortar and the gun.

3. The combination with a gun, of a mortar in the rea-r thereof, rods connecting the gun and the mortar, a breech-block mounted to move on the rods between the mortar and the gun, and springs on the rods cushioning the forward movement of the breech'- bloclr.

t. The combination with a gun, of a mor-,

tar in the rear thereof, rods connecting the gun and the mortar, a breech-block mounted to move on the rods between the mortar and the gun, and coiled springs on the rods cushioning the forward movement of the breechblock and also the rearward movement of the mortar.

5. The combination with a gun, a mortar in the rear of the gun, a breech-block constituting a projectile discharged from the mortar, longitudinal guides for the breech-block between the mortar and the gun, and a plunger on the breechblock adapted to enter the barrel of the gun.

6. The combination With av gun, of a mortar in the rear thereof, a breech-block between the mortar and the gun constituting a projectile for the mortar, a plunger on the breech-block adapted to enter the barrel of the gun, a firing pin in the plunger, and a laterally movable member carried by the plunger and caused to move inwardly by Contact with the gun barrel to compel the l operation of the firing pin.

7. The combination with a, gun, a mortar n the rear of the gun, a breech-block constituting a projectile for the mortar, a plunger on the breech-block adapted to enter the barrel of the gun, a longitudinally movable firing pin in the plunger, toggle levers in the plunger operating the firing pin, and laterally projecting pins on the toggle levers adapted to be moved inwardly by contact with the gun barrel to cause the operation of the ring pin.

WILLIAM MEINERSMANN. 

